My Moneybag Uchiha Sasuke
by xsnakeCHARMERx
Summary: Sakura, being an Amazon since birth, sells men for a living. A mission to save her from her debts began changing her perspective in life. The outside world, new friends, new places, and most importantly, she gets a dose of what people call men. SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

**Dumbbells—Chapter One**

Haruno Sakura emerged noiselessly from her hiding spot and dispelled her infamous illusion technique, looking down at a huge pit in front of her with a content smile. Her gaze roamed around the couple of unconscious bodies lying inside, groaning and looking very much disheveled, before she pulled something out of her sling bag.

Soft ringing sound of bells filled the foot of the mountain as she dived inside the five-foot hole.

"This is so easy."

**O.O**

"I know you want it," Sakura winked as she walked pass a drooling female customer.

"How much?" the lady eagerly asked, tugging the merchant's sleeve.

Sakura smirked before she stuck her fingers out. "Five sacks of rice and it's all yours."

"Five sacs! That's ridiculous!"

Sakura turned to her customer and tapped her shoulder, talking the hesitant lady onto buying it. "What are you talking about, Ikeuchi-san? You practically own a rice stand by the market—you can really afford it. And look." Sakura paused and pulled her merchandise closer for scrutiny. "I found it by the foot of a far away mountain from the south—probably a hunter. It's the best among its group—c'mon, look at its built. Those nice and firm muscles are surely one of a kind. And I can assure you that his obedience wouldn't be a problem. It can cook, wash your clothes, help you out on your farm and can give you cute little children in the future. It even comes with a one-month warranty," Sakura explained, nodding congenially towards the interested customer.

The lady paused thoughtfully, biting her lip and sparing the product shy glances.

"Are you sure it's the best among the rest?" Ikeuchi inquired, poking her index fingers together in a shy manner.

Sakura grinned. "Of course! Trust me, I'm a trader, Ikeuchi-san. I've been to many places and I've seen every one of them in the wild. I can say that it's quite exceptional—never seen something as good as it since my last trip away from this village," she answered professionally. "I think you should get it before someone else could," Sakura persuaded. "I bet your friends would be down-right jealous of it—it's a hunter, may I remind you."

"O-okay, five sacs of rice!" the lady yelled out.

"That's more like it," Sakura cheered as she stepped up on a make-shift stage in the middle of the market—the spot she rented for her business purposes. She waved her hands on the sea of faces gathered in front of her before she yelled out "five sacs of rice for Ikeuchi-san! Anyone else?"

Sakura smirked when none objected. For God's sake, five sacs of rice? That's her highest bid ever since she started out her trading occupation—all for a stinky dumbbell, Sakura thought inwardly. Amazons nowadays are sure becoming more and more irrational—save for herself, of course.

Ikeuchi looked up anxiously, clasping her hands on her chest.

"None? Going, going… GONE! Congratulations, Ikeuchi-san!" Sakura exclaimed as she hopped down. "It's all yours! Very, very, nice choice!" Sakura grinned as she handed Ikeuchi a metal tag. The sold merchandise let out a grunting noise as it was pulled ruthlessly from the railing.

"What the hell? What are you talking about?"

Sakura's grin dropped a few watts before she placed a hand on her hip, turning to the owner of the voice.

"You've been bought," she replied as-a-matter-of-factly, turning into a male in his early twenties with both of his hands bounded by a metal chain. "For five sacs of rice."

"What the fuck? You can't _sell_ people!" the guy yelled out hysterically.

"What's this? I thought I won the bidding?" Ikeuchi asked, turning to the pink-haired trader.

Sakura held out her hand in front of the freaking out customer, telling Ikeuchi wordlessly to leave everything to her. She then turned towards the panicking guy, her eyes narrowed and her teeth barring in annoyance. "Where do you think you are, idiot?"

The guy hesitantly looked up, sparing the market place a glance. Upon seeing the people on it, he immediately blanched.

"Yes. That's right—all girls," Sakura pointed out, pulling the guy's metal chain closer to her. "I caught you back in the south of this village. And now, I sold you. Welcome to the Amazon village, poor guy, where unlucky bastards like you will be marked as dumbbells, sold and will serve your master for the rest of your life," she added in fake sympathy. Sakura lifted the guy's chin and turned him towards Ikeuchi. "You're such a fool to fall in one of my traps and now you're a slave. _To her._" Sakura pulled a metal tag with a bell and looped it around the sold guy's neck. She poked the bell for added effect, seeing the paled face of the guy, before smirking mischievously.

"A—are you serious?"

Sakura scratched her head in annoyance before she smacked the back of the guy's head. "Stop being stupid. That lady bought you. You're her slave now, you get it, you stinking lowlife! Tch. Boys are so stubborn," she murmured before she turned to Ikeuchi with a friendly smile.

"Don't worry, Ikeuchi-san, it just needs coping up. And it won't even think of escaping," Sakura paused and narrowed her eyes towards the guy. "We all know that dumbbells who'll try to do so are burned in the palace, with some of their body parts fed on the vultures in the outskirts of the village."

Something on Sakura's evil voice made the sold guy cringe visibly.

"With their heads placed on stakes in front of the palace gates," Ikeuchi added humorously, unaware of the guy's psychological torment. "That's good to know."

The guy swallowed hard, dodging fearful glances on the two female in front of him.

The evil glint on Sakura's eyes disappeared as she handed Ikeuchi the metal chain connected to the bounded hands of her merchandise. "If there're any problems, don't hesitate to bring him back on this place same time every Monday. I'll be here to take care of it."

Ikeuchi nodded. "Drop by before you leave on my rice stand for the sacs of rice."

"Thank you very much," Sakura replied and waved towards the lady and her newly-bought dumbbell. "Dumbbell, take care of your new master, okay? Bye!"

She then turned swiftly towards the closing market, noting that the sun is beginning to set. With a sigh, she picked up her metal chains from the railings and abandoned her spot, taking the trail towards the whore house.

**O.O**

"You called for me, Anko-san?"

The ominous-looking lady then looked up to the visitor, noting the newcomer's anxious frame. "Haruno Sakura."

The trader took a delicate gulp. "Yes?"

Anko shifted from her couch and pulled out a scroll. "Your debt is due today, right?" Anko asked, looking down at the details of the young trader's numerous debts. "Fifty gold coins, correct?"

Sakura nodded and placed a small bag in front of her debtor. "T—that's just half of it, Anko-san. I'm still saving up for the rest," she reasoned out, eyes downcast.

Anko raised a brow before gesturing the young merchant closer.

"Then I have a mission for you," she started out.

The trader exhaled in relief. "Anything for you, Anko-san."

Anko nodded before she placed her hands in her lap, her face morphing to seriousness. "I need you to find someone for me."

Sakura nodded efficiently.

"I need you to find a _man_."

Sakura gasped and looked startled.

"What? You hunt for men, right? There's no difference in finding a specific one," Anko pointed out, appearing affronted on the young trader's reaction.

Sakura looked down considerately, weighing her chances. It is true that she hunts men with her illusion techniques, hold them captive until she get to sell them to the highest bidder. After all her dumbbells were bought, she sets out for another hunt, and the cycle goes on again. But then… "I've never pursued for a single person before."

"Are you saying you're willing to spend the rest of your life inside prison bars?" Anko asked impatiently, gesturing towards Sakura's debts. "You are still indebt with me, don't you forget that, Haruno."

Sakura winced at the mention of 'prison' and hesitantly looked up to meet Anko's steely glare. "I know, Anko-san."

"Then take the mission and we're even." Anko stood up and handed a small scroll to Sakura. "The mission details are inside. I'm giving you three months to complete it. And oh, I hired two more for that job but they all returned empty handed. If the same happens to you then you leave me no choice but to kill you."

Sakura took the scroll and placed it inside her sling bag.

"You can take your money and use it for the mission," Anko said and tossed the small bag of money to the merchant's direction. "Three months, okay?"

Sakura bit her lip and sighed, accepting the fact that she really doesn't have a choice.

"Hai."

**O.O**

"Are you serious? Sakura, the North trail is dangerous!" Ino warned, tossing the scroll back on Sakura. "Besides, the mission details are vague. And you're practically engaging on a suicide mission," the blonde added.

Sakura sighed and looked down at the scroll. "Either way, my life's still in the line, Ino. You know that I can't disobey orders, especially from Anko-san. I owe her my mother's life. Without her, my mom would've made it alive from her illness."

Ino shook her head and pulled her hair out in annoyance. "Sakura, the woman you're calling mother has abandoned you again. I caught her last night on the whore house, flirting with another dumbbell," Ino pointed out. "That woman never acknowledged your existence and wasted her life by falling in love with a lowly dumbbell and now you're throwing your life for her? Sakura, your life's too precious for that."

"Do I seriously have a choice? I live to earn money, nothing else. And my life is a mess. There's nothing special about it," Sakura argued, standing up and walking towards her closet. She pulled a small duffel bag and began filling it up with much needed clothes for the upcoming mission. "And I promised Anko-san that I'll repay her kindness, there's no way I'll betray her."

"You can just leave this damn village and start a new life. Anko will never know," Ino teased. "Then probably you can actually fall for a stupid guy and live a happy life—if that could be possible."

"Are you crazy? Ino, this is my home. Besides, living a new life is very much complicated. And I don't have plans on engaging on what the outsiders call as 'marriage'. Men for me are slaves, nothing more! And I'm sure people will freak out if they ever find out that I'm from this village, let alone know that I sell men for a living. You know how the outsiders treat Amazons like us if caught. Men can get very much… _scary_ when they join forces with each other." Sakura shuddered at the thought and dumped her mission scroll inside her bag. "All I need to do is to find this certain man, bring him here then I'm free from my debt," she casually stated.

"Whoa, Sakura, I think it won't be _that_ easy. You said so yourself that no one ever completed this mission successfully. They all probably ended up dead before they even had the chance to do so."

Sakura then turned to her blonde friend with a grin. "That's why I'm asking for your help!" she exclaimed, eying Ino expectantly.

Ino sighed and leaned back on her couch. "You know I'm still a dumbbell trader, too, and I'm leaving tomorrow for a catch. I'm running out of supplies back home."

"You can always meet me up North, at the Fire Country, right? Your information gathering skills are legendary and you are an exceptional Amazon warrior. You've been to north numerous times and you even reached Konoha in one of your travels. I'll probably get myself killed by doing this alone but with your assistance, I might just make it out alive," Sakura explained, clasping her hands in front of her and began pleading.

"But Sakura…"

"What? What happened to all your concern awhile ago?" Sakura teased, pulling her boots under her bed.

Ino groaned loudly. "You know how I can get _temperamental _in front of men. I might just snap out and strap them all with a metal collar and sell them to a nearest Amazon."

"And that's the second problem, Ino." Sakura walked towards the blonde and felt her temples. "I don't exactly know how to act in front of _other _people—let alone men. The only ones I've met were the ones I sold. How should I know the proper way to treat them without them… getting offended or something—not that I care, of course? And how do I stop them from pointing their arrows on me if something bad happened? And I don't know how to treat a man without smacking him at the back of his head for being so constantly stupid and stubborn."

"What's the problem of hitting them from time to time? That's just normal," Ino exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, they look angry whenever I did that so I assume they weren't used to being bossed around," Sakura argued. "And some could really be so… moody. How do I stop myself from getting in further conflict around them?"

"Honestly, Sakura, I don't know. We're basically the same. We were born in this village where men are nothing but slaves. We don't pay that much attention to them practically because they were off no use to us than to provide us more money. Besides, I've been used to men bowing down on my feet from time to time," Ino replied, sparing her pink-haired friend a glance.

"A fellow dumbbell trader once informed me that men act very much different from the ones in the whore house. She told me that could get so… dangerous because of their ranging hormones, whatever that means. Though I can't imagine them _not _acting so obedient and all." Sakura pulled out a thick black jacket and swung it on her shoulder. "I guess this mission is harder than I thought," she mumbled, pulling her potion bag from the closet and strapping it on her hip.

Ino sighed before her gaze traveled towards Sakura's duffel bag. "Y—you're leaving already?"

Sakura nodded in defeat. "I have to. Anko said I only have three months; I can't waste any time."

"Well, I just hope you can survive," Ino aspired, flipping her blonde hair. She looked away from Sakura and felt silent for a while.

"So, see you again!" Sakura yelled out as she exited her hut. "Whenever that could be…" she added in slight remorse.

"Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura smirked as she turned to Ino; she knew her longtime best friend wouldn't let her down. She saw Ino leaning on her doorframe tiredly. "I'm not promising you that I can show up to help you up but _if _I do I'll be waiting at the Fire Country's Hokage tower. You'll get to know where that place could be upon reaching Konoha." Sakura smiled genuinely and nodded to her appreciatively. "And be cautious to men, okay? Take care of yourself!"

"Okay, okay! I'll see you there in two weeks! Bye!"

**O.O**

Sakura scowled tiredly and sat on a nearby tree, massaging her temples. She never knew that when Ino told her that the mission details were vague—it could be _this _ambiguous. She pulled her scroll out and read from it that the person she needed to find is a citizen of Konoha, a village north from her hometown. For one thing, Sakura knew that it's a male she's pursuing but the only description the scroll leaked was a picture of three black tomoes forming a small circle, with a scarlet backdrop.

"Could this be an emblem?" Sakura asked uncertainly to herself, twisting the picture to another angle. "Or maybe this could be the sign of the place where the guy could be found. Or probably the symbol of this person… Or maybe it's a tattoo. A birthmark?" Sakura burrowed her brows and scratched the back of her head. "It can't be. Who in this world has red skin?" Sakura sighed and dumped the scroll in annoyance to her sling bag, tired of the guessing game. She should've gone back to the village to ask for more specific instructions from Anko, but she'd been halfway on her journey. "And she might just kill me," she murmured under her palms.

She then began wallowing in self-pity, cursing her twisted luck.

_(creak)_

Sakura stiffened before she eyed the dark forest trail, positive that she heard something above. Her senses went haywire upon sensing a couple of presence, lurking above the tree she was sitting. "Shit." She had let her guard down—not good.

She immediately stood up, missing a sharp kunai aimed at her head. It burrowed deep into the trunk with a 'thud' as she leapt away from it.

"Kunai?" she hissed, identifying the piece of weaponry.

"Shit. Missing-nins."

**O.O**

_So. First Naruto story. The plot was based on a movie,_

_though it seems like I forgot the title. Silly me. Just_

_wanna try out something new, and well, this is what you_

_get! I just want to hear what you think about it. good? _

_bad? okay? delete it? HAH! c;_


	2. Chapter 2

_Uhm… I raised the rating from K+ to M for mature content—for the future chapters, that is.  
Just want to point that out. Yosh! Chapter 2 is here! I got like 200+ hits but only one bothered  
to review. Well, that's okay. It's not like I write for the sake of getting a lot of reviews, right? I have  
fun writing this fic and I'm glad there's actually someone who wasted a good ten minutes of his/her  
life to read on. So for __**piNkLaLa-o3**__, thanks! And oh, I forgot to tell you that they're all 17 in  
age, except Gai's team, of course, for they'll always be a year older.  
_:D :D :D

**O.O**

"Hey, teme! Wait up!"

"Hn."

Naruto scoffed irritably before he nearly stumbled on a low uprooted branch, almost landing on the muddy forest floor. "Do you hear me? I said wait up!"

"Why don't _you_ start hurrying up?" Sasuke asked in an aloof tone, making his way along the bushy trail with surprising easiness. He pulled a sprawled weed and threw it on the other side, clearing the trail and marking the trunks with a small arrow. He disregarded Naruto's rumblings and closed his eyes momentarily, his ears perking up for any distant sounds.

"Where's the river you're talking about?" Naruto inquired as he emerged from a bush, his hair and clothes in disarray. He pulled a stray twig from his orange jacket before he scoffed. "We've been walking for an hour in this, _this forest_!" Naruto paused and spared the dark tropical rain forest a mocking glance. "I knew I should've gone with the others. I'm sure Neji's group came up with at least something at this point in time. Unlike us. Do you seriously know where we're going?"

"_Sssshhhh…_"

"What is it now?"

"I said shut up!" Sasuke muttered, glaring towards Naruto's direction. The blonde shrugged before Sasuke closed his eyes again, attempting to hear out the flowing sound of a stream he heard a few miles from their camping site. He was positive it was a small mountain spring, judging from the calm vibrations. And if his instincts are right, they can have fried fish for dinner.

"I can't believe you dragged me out here for some stupid hearing marathon. We shouldn't have broken out of the group. Teme, this forest is dangerous! I heard a number of lost, bloodlust criminals are out here. You wouldn't want to get in trouble, not now, teme. And not to mention what Hinata told me about this forest being located at the borders of an Amazon village. You should be cautious of any of those vicious women or you'll end up as a dumbbell yourself," Naruto warned, huffing and crossing his arms on his chest. His brow twitched when Sasuke ignored him, appearing occupied with his crazy hearing pursuit. "That's it, I'm leaving!" he exclaimed as he turned towards the marked trail back to their site. "I'll tell the rest you went psycho and apparently got yourself killed by jumping off a cliff."

Sasuke's eyes snapped open and glared the retreating blonde. _Che. Like I care_. It'll even be much better to hunt without someone as loud and as annoying as the blonde who whines every passing minute. He shook his head and followed the faint sound of flowing water he caught earlier, cautiously watching his steps to avoid being stung by poisonous weeds.

He skipped a huge, sprawled root on the forest floor and skidded to stop, marking the tree trunk on his right with a kunai and peeling off the bark. He exhaled before he closed his eyes again, determined to find the spring he perceived to be a mile away from his spot.

Sasuke took in the calm breeze caressing the towering trees of the secluded rain forest. The sound of the branches swaying blended well on the soft whistle of the westward wind. Chirping sounds of birds reached his ears, tapping, tittering and fluttering. He took a waft of fresh air and focused on the elusive sound of splashing water on his right. Yes. A spring, indeed, with fresh water fishes suitable for human consumption. Pretty much convinced of his discovery, he began setting out to his right when a strange wind vibration penetrated his trained sense of hearing.

_Strange. _He bit his lip and settled down on his spot, trying to heighten the soft strange sound he caught.

"_Teme, this forest is dangerous! I heard a number of lost, bloodlust criminals are out here."_

Sasuke tilted his head and bundled his fist. Something's strange…

—and _that_ sound doesn't seem to belong in this tranquil forest.

**O.O**

"Let's see. Two from the right and one from behind," Sakura whispered, unsheathing her own blade. "Armed with a kunai, a set of shurikens and a katana." She narrowed her eyes as the shuffling from above continued. "A flail…" she identified, hearing the hollow sound of chains against the wind.

Training as an Amazon since birth incorporated sharp senses, sharp fighting movements and agility to their own warriors, and Sakura was proud to be equipped by all of them. Let the missing-nins come for she's ready. She could be a dumbbell trader, but she had been on similar battles with fiercer men. An Amazon is ready to stand on her feet, and was known for her daunting presence. Sakura wasn't sure what could possibly happen if these guys uncover her true identity but the situation calls for her true knack. She can't die here—she promised Ino that she'll meet her at the Hokage tower—and Amazons are always true to their word. Besides, she still has to find this certain man and bring him back to Anko.

She can't die.

_Yet_.

Sakura sidestepped and swung to her right, dodging an unseen kunai released from behind. A shower of shurikens then greeted her immediately after she twisted, some of them cutting the flesh of her right arm.

"Let's see," Sakura mumbled, disregarding her injury, narrowing her eyes on one of the treetops. With a perfect swing, she threw a speedy dagger to her target before a body fell on the muddy ground, groaning on his deep cut.

"What the—?" the guy shrouded in black coat exclaimed, looking flabbergasted. "Y—you!" he bit back, cursing at his fatal injury on his chest. Sakura watched the guy squirm in pain with a hint of amusement, well aware of the fact that her identity had been uncovered, both by the injured guy and his companions.

Sakura scoffed. "Men," she said, advancing towards the laying body on the ground. "So weak."

"ARGH!"

The injured man then charged towards her, knocking both of them to the ground.

"Pathetic," Sakura hissed as she grazed her blade on the man's neck, ready to puncture the annoying prick's neckline.

She took in the location of the two others, one on her right and the other to the opposite side. She can use the stupid guy's body as a shield, and take all of them down with her blade. She had openly introduced her true identity to the assailants; there's no point in keeping her true abilities for herself. Amazons were stern warriors that drove off their male counterparts in a historical battle of trounce. She would have to show to these missing-nins that they were not to be messed with. She was in the process of pushing the injured body of one of the nins off of her when a blazing fire reached the treetops like a blanket of hell, engulfing the foliage in a scary display of red flames.

Sakura ducked swiftly, biting her lip for not sensing the other presence behind the intrusion. The injured guy on top of her groaned, his back scalded by the blazing heat as the other two assailants fled.

But as fast as the flames swallowed the place, they retreated back with the same fleetness to the hazy figure rooted on a branch. With a fluid motion, the newcomer jumped off towards the crippled body on the ground and pulled the body off of Sakura, dumping it away from sight.

Emerald meets obsidian.

With a glare, though.

"You could've killed me, you pyromaniac!" Sakura sneered, her Amazon-side dominating. If anyone in her village would know that she was just saved by a low specie then she's positive that she'll never hear the end of it.

Sasuke stared at the girl disbelievingly. He was rather expecting a tumult between two missing-nins. Seeing a girl in this part of the forest wasn't exactly what he had in mind, let alone a scandalous and an ungrateful one. "I just saved you're life," he hissed, now glaring back with his blood red sharingan eyes.

He then took in the change of expression on the girl's face, her venomous façade dropping into a shocked one.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, finally taking into account the girl's appearance. She was wearing a pair of cargo pants, knee-high boots, a black leather jacket with a white top inside and a small duffel bag swung on her shoulder. She had the most unusual hair color—anemic red, or just disgustingly pink—that reached down on her mid back. Her eyes were the same color of the serene forest, wide and green. He hauled in the first thing that reached his mind. "What are you doing here?" he asked, looking cautious.

But Sakura disregarded the question and stared at the amazing scarlet eyes, with three tomoes in the middle. _It's neither an emblem nor a birthmark! _"Y—you're eyes…"

He instinctively took a step back, unable to discern what her eyes were pronouncing.

"TEMEEEEEE!!!!"

Sasuke scowled and turned around at the offending noise shattering the natural and peaceful silence of the forest.

With a grin, Sakura's hand twitched and snaked inside her duffel bag, fishing for a metal collar. She never knew that she wouldn't even have to reach the village of Konoha just to find the person she was looking for. She smirked upon feeling the cold ringlet of steel and pulled it out, ready to pounce on her unsuspecting savior to bring him back to Anko.

"Teme, where have you been? You're marked trail just stopped!" the newcomer stated, emerging from one of the trees. His sapphire eyes then trailed towards the burned pocket of the forest. "What did you do now?"

"Hn."

Sakura's emerald eyes continued to blink, peering on Sasuke's shoulder to see a tanned, blonde-haired guy on an orange jumpsuit.

"Oh!" Naruto gasped upon seeing the mob of pink hair behind Sasuke.

Sasuke stepped away from Sakura before scoffing. "You're breathing on my neck!" he exclaimed, disgusted.

Sakura's eyes widened before she slipped the metal collar back on her bag intuitively, hoping none of them noticed.

"Whoa, who are you?" Naruto asked despite of himself. When Sakura wasn't able to answer, he turned to Sasuke. "Who is she, teme? What's she doing here?" Naruto grinned in a friendly manner before he skipped towards Sakura. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, by the way," he introduced, extending his right hand.

Sakura fought the urge to throw up. _Does this guy seriously think we're willing to go down to his level? _a part of her mind mumbled, staring at the offending hand. Besides, on their village, men don't even have the right to _have _a name.

"You're suppose to shake it," she heard Sasuke point out, probably smirking down at her pathetically due to her lack of social skills.

"I know!" Sakura replied and gladly took Naruto's hand, shaking it vigorously. Upon realizing what she's doing and the possible punishment for getting caught _shaking _a guy's hand, she immediately withdrew her hand.

Naruto looked up to her questioningly. "What's the matter?"

_Right. I forgot I'm not in the village anymore. _'N—nothing."

"That's good to hear!" he grinned. "What's you're name anyway?"

Sasuke ranked his neck and turned to the duo.

"Sakura."

Naruto giggled and Sakura discovered he had smiling whiskers on his cheeks. "That's a very pretty name, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smiled hesitantly, unsure on how to react. _Sakura-chan? The nerve of this guy to address us like that! _Sakura nodded inwardly, surveying the blonde suspiciously. She never imagined herself to actually have the strength to _converse _with a _male_! Back on her hometown, all men bow down to her feet and calls her 'Sakura-sama' _all the time. _And why is she still here? She found the person she was looking for and completed half of the mission. All she needs to do now is to knock this blonde off (despite how nice he was—_he's probably deceiving us, shannaro!_) and beat the crap out of the offending 'teme' even though she had been so curious about the guy's sexy eyes.

"So, Sakura-chan, what're you doing here? This is a dangerous place, do you know that?" Naruto inquired, _and was that concern on his eyes?_

Sakura took a delicate gulp.

"Do you know that there's a massive hound of missing-nins here? We found out that Konoha ninjas are raiding the forest for missing-nins; you wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of the crossfire, Sakura-chan." He reached for her shoulders as Sakura jerked away. But seeing the hurt on Naruto's sapphire eyes, she figured she could at least take a little step closer. "Besides, you might get lost and take the trail towards an Amazon village by mistake. I heard stories about those fierce girls—though I've never met anyone from that village." Sakura felt her mouth running dry. "Where are you going anyways?"

Desperate situations call for desperate measures. She ransacked her brain for a good excuse but she came out empty handed. "I—" she paused, feeling all eyes on her. "I—I have to go to Konoha… to meet a friend…?"

"That's great, Sakura-chan! We're headed to Konoha too!" Naruto cheered, jumping off and punching his fist on the air.

Sakura almost smacked herself for the lame excuse before she turned to Naruto. "What do you mean by _we_?"

"C'mon, Sakura-chan, you can meet the rest of us! C'mon!"

**O.O**

Sakura never knew what she had gotten herself into until she stared unknowingly to the faces that greeted her. When Naruto mentioned 'we' she never expected a herd of ten people, not to mention _eight _men. Oh the horror!

"Sakura-chan, they're the ones I'm talking about!" Naruto exclaimed as the group was seated beside a campfire, with Sakura feeling more and more awkward, especially because she was seated between two men—Naruto and Sasuke to be exact. Naruto grinned and took a bite on his own fish and used the stick to point each one out.

"You already know teme, ne, Sakura-chan? He's Uchiha Sasuke but you can call him anything that suits him. That's Nara Shikamaru next to him, with Sai on his right. Then Akimichi Chouji, and Inuzuka Kiba's right there with Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino. Finally, that's Lee, Neji and Tenten."

Sakura shook her head, unable to memorize all their names.

"That's okay, Sakura. You'll all get to know us in time. The journey to Konoha is long, we have all the time," a girl in buns said, smiling.

Sakura smiled back, though she was still having a hard time for it to look sincere. "What are you all doing out here, anyway?" she asked.

Naruto swallowed the rest of his fried fish before he turned to Sakura. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he grinned. "We just had our Jounin exams at the Village of Sand in the West and we're on our way home."

"Jounin exams?"

"Yeah," one of them answered. Kiba tucked Akamaru inside his jacket before continuing. "We're all Konoha ninjas, see this?" Kiba tapped his metal forehead protector and Sakura noticed that everyone was wearing something identical to it. "We went to Suna to take an exam to elevate our ninja status. All of us failed, though, except for Sasuke, Naruto and Neji. Hell, only those three passed among the thousands who took it, Konoha ninjas and others alike," he added, grinning sheepishly.

Sakura nodded, slowly following Kiba's revelation. _Ninjas? _She had heard of them. Ninjas, like everyone on her Amazon village, had undergone specialized training since they were young and are sent out or missions. She indistinctively remembered a rumor about some ninjas surpassing the Amazon warriors' exceptional taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques. But now, looking at the young recruits, she can't help but to doubt about the real strength of these so called 'ninjas'.

"So, Sakura, what do you do?" the girl with a bun asked, putting down her grilled fish.

"Uhm…" Sakura mumbled, feeling everyone's attention to her. God, when will she ever get over this? She wasn't used to eating and chatting all the same time. How it was on their village was far more different than what these Konoha ninjas portray and she was scared that they might rub on something to her. "I'm a healer," she replied, pointing towards her potion belt bag.

"That's amazing, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura nodded. Well, she _used _to be a healer, tinkering with some of the potions she carries as a dumbbell trader… It's not like they'll ask for more proofs.

"You know, Sakura, our Hokage is the greatest medic-nin! You can meet her when we reach Konoha, _she'_s pretty good too—the best you can find in the entire planet," Tenten said.

"Really?" Sakura asked, feeling slightly interested. But then she remembered something far more important.

"_I'm not promising you that I can show up to help you but if I do I'll be waiting at the Fire Country's Hokage tower."_

"Hokage?"

Naruto sprang from his feet and cheered, startling Sakura as she leaned away from him. She felt her shoulder brush Sasuke's before the Uchiha glared. Sakura rolled her eyes away from him and took in Naruto's excitement. "Sakura-chan, the Hokage is the strongest ninja in Konoha and baa-chan can even topple a mountain with her pinky. After her retirement, you'll see, Sakura-chan, I'll take her job, dattebayo!"

"Naruto, shut it," a cold voice ordered.

"Aw, Neji, I thought I already knocked some sense to you after the finals?"

The Hyuuga prodigy just scoffed off.

"What about it, Sakura?" Tenten asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I just planned to meet a friend at the Hokage tower, that's all," she answered.

"Oh! Oh! Sakura-san, I can bring you there! I can't let a beautiful spring lotus like you wilt among the sight of our village's busy life!" Lee volunteered as he grinned lopsidedly, unaware of Sakura cringing. She had never seen such… such fuzzy eyebrows and it scares the hell out of her. And what did he just call her? Sakura mentally took note that if ever there'll be a chance that she'll have to sell off these Konoha ninjas she'll have to purposely spare Lee. The freaky guy on a green suit would probably amount to nothing.

Unlike the one seated beside her, Sakura inwardly thought, sparing Sasuke a glance as the group fell into a friendly conversation.

Sasuke is officially her moneybag, and the key to her freedom from Anko. All she has to do is kidnap the unsuspecting guy and bring her back to her village, sell him to Anko and she'll have a normal, not debt-induced, life. She can probably go back for Naruto and the rest of the guys and sell them off to other cranky Amazons and then she'll be rich. Her hands once again itched towards the metal collar inside her bag, feeling impatient as she watched the gullible group, chatting animatedly.

Sakura got distracted when Sasuke shifted, stood up, and walked away. She narrowed her eyes to his retreating back before she realized that almost everyone were finished eating.

"Its okay, Sakura, take your time," Tenten exclaimed as she, too, stood up. "I'm going for a walk, see you later!" she added though Sakura had doubts if Tenten was actually pertaining to her. Her suspicions were confirmed upon seeing Neji following the trail Tenten just took, leaving the group to go after her.

**O.O**

Dinner ended as soon as the group started falling apart, and Sakura was left in the campfire with Lee, Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru. Unable to contain the humiliation of being able to spend time with men in general, she excused herself and went back on her tent.

Tenten was so nice to share her tent with Sakura and she spent an hour sorting the things she brought for this mission. She also carefully wrapped the metal collar with a bell on a small towel, knowing that she'll be dead when someone finds her with it. She placed it on the lowest compartment of her duffel bag and soon went out to take a nice bath on a river where they all went fishing earlier. Apparently, that same river was discovered by Sasuke and as to how he did it, Sakura found out she doesn't care at all.

Upon reaching the riverbank and making sure no one's in the vicinity, she began stripping until she was only on her undergarments. She dipped in the water and realized much too late that the water is icy. She winced upon seeing her injured right arm and saw that the wound hasn't healed yet. Disregarding it, she folded her clothes and placed them on a nearby tree branch before she dived into the water.

She had to plan ahead if she has to succeed on this mission she was bestowed upon. It is true that she found the person but bringing him back would undoubtedly be harder. Sasuke's grouchy attitude doesn't help either. She'll have to even him out or Anko wouldn't be able to bear with him. He can get himself killed by his crankiness, not that she cares though. If Sasuke wouldn't start being nice then Anko might kill them both, and Sakura won't allow that to happen.

Sakura dipped lower on the water to calm herself, but found herself unable to when she saw a thin, smoky trail cascading the night sky on the west, closer on her location.

_If there's smoke, there's fire,_ she intelligently pointed out before she swam towards it, knowing all too well the person behind it.

She reached a huge rock after sometime and saw Sasuke, with his back facing her, sparring with a makeshift dummy in the form of a log hanging on one of the tree branches in the vicinity. Sakura, still in the water, plopped her elbows and watched him credulously, her eyes widening upon seeing the magnificent fire display that erupted on Sasuke's mouth again.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her after dispelling his clan's famous fire technique.

Sakura stared at his back blankly. "You know you're attracting too much attention by that technique," pointing at the smoky trail against the black sky backdrop. "Those nins you fried earlier might come back and get you, probably with some reinforcements," she added as an afterthought.

Sasuke's brows furrowed and realized that he now officially hates the girl's bossy attitude.

"Go away."

Sakura raised a perfect brow. She never knew she'll live to this time where a _guy _would tell her what to do. Her gaze lifted to Sasuke's back and scoffed. So this is how wild men, away from the Amazons' dominance, act. They're far from the domesticated and tamed ones she fondly calls dumbbells.

She saw him bundle his fists when she stayed rooted from her spot, fairly amused at Sasuke's patience, or lack of it thereof.

Sasuke inhaled and disregarded the girl's stubbornness—he doesn't have time for this. He was about to leave her be when he heard her offending laughter. That being the final nail of the coffin, he immediately spun towards her direction, even activating his Sharingan in the process. He has to show this girl to never mess with an Uchiha—especially with him.

He saw her stop momentarily in her laughing spree before she stared again at his red eyes, the way she did it the first time. Her wide electric green eyes sparked with curiosity, eying each tomoe with amazement.

Sasuke pursed his lips and glared her right away, wordlessly telling her to back off already. He then realized those eyes were too vivid that he can't help but to stare down, which proved to be the worse thing to do especially when he noticed she was just wearing a thin undergarment that stuck on her caramel skin. The light of the full moon only accentuated her curves as his gaze alarmingly roamed on her wet, slender neck. He even took a step back upon seeing her tilt her head in what he perceived as seductive, leaning on her plopped elbow on the riverbank. He took a delicate gulp when Sakura's brows met in the middle.

"Hey, Uchiha, what're you staring at?"

**O.O**

_Ah, a cliffhanger. That was fun to write.  
_:D :D :D


	3. Chapter 3

_This story being my first means that I'm still not used  
to what folks call 'character development'. (sighs) But for  
the sake of this story's plot, I'll try. And since Sakura  
is not part of Team 7, I decided that Sai will take her spot.  
_:D :D :D

**Disclaimer: **(dodges angry tomatoes) I know, I know I forgot to write this one. So here it is. Yeah, not mine. Happy now?

**O.O**

She noticed the strange way his Adam's apple bobbled and she instinctively narrowed her eyes.

"What?" she asked defensively, crossing her arms in front of her chest, watching the petrified Uchiha. Sakura mentally took note of the possible reason that can render someone like him speechless, but then, she too fell into confusion upon her lack of ability to do so. He wasn't _that _shocked awhile ago, what could've possibly happened?

Sakura then took in the hot blush that crept Sasuke's face to the tip of his ears, before he was shook back to reality and turned his back on her swiftly.

"What do you think you're doing? Put your clothes on!" he ordered, but Sakura noticed the wavering of his voice, which added much to her bewilderment.

She looked down uncertainly before her face turned to a frown. "I'm actually wearing something right now," she pointed out, still not getting his point. Back in their village, she used to wander even with this undergarment she's wearing, and nothing strange like this happens—no one even notices her while doing so. She remained unmoving on her spot as she watched Sasuke shift in uneasiness. "What's the problem exactly?" she finally asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

Sasuke widened his eyes and cursed the girl's ignorance. "Put some clothes first!" he exclaimed in gritted teeth, pulling the collar of his shirt upon noticing the sudden increase of the night temperature.

Sakura rolled her eyes away from him and splashed him with water. "Men are so weird," she finally concluded, eying Sasuke's strangely tensed shoulders. She even noticed his bundled fist as if he was having some internal battle to himself. With a scowl, she glared his back one last time before she began swimming back to where she left her clothes on. "Whatever," she mumbled, retreating back angrily.

She continued staring at him until his figure was blocked by some of the rocks in the riverbank, which latter drowned with the forest thick foliage. As quickly as she arrived at Sasuke's practice grounds, she swam back to the riverbank near their campsite. Sakura eyed her clothes that are neatly piled beside her as she spattered the icy water on her face. She still hasn't figured out the probable reason on Sasuke's very, very strange change in mood, all because he realized she was just on her thin undergarment. Ino once told her that boys and men in general tend to act outlandish in front of girls, but what Sasuke portrayed was purely unfathomable.

"S-Sakura-chan?" a timid voice shook her out of her own daze.

Sakura blinked for sometime and disregarded her thoughts about Sasuke and turned to Hinata. "Oh, Hinata," she acknowledged, seeing the shy girl in a bathrobe. "You're taking a dip too?" she asked.

Hinata nodded anxiously, poking her fingers. "C-can I join you?"

"Of course," Sakura replied, feeling glad that finally, _finally _she gets to hang out with a girl. She watched Hinata shrug her bathrobe and slid into the river, shivering slightly at the cold water. "It's okay. It'll make you feel at ease," she added with a gorgeous smile.

Hinata nodded and settled on her spot, staring the vast night sky.

"S-Sakura-chan?"

"Yes?"

Hinata turned to the pink-haired healer and tilted her head. "Is it true that you've been traveling all by yourself to Konoha?" she inquired. "I-I mean, aren't you scared?"

"Scared of what?" Sakura shot back.

"Of being alone…?"

Sakura's gaze traveled to Hinata as she saw fear on the young ninja's eyes. She leaned on the rocky riverbank and sighed. "From the place I came from, being alone is not really an issue. I've been on tougher… missions by myself. It's really no big deal," she replied.

"R-really?" Hinata asked in admiration. "Y-you seem so great."

Sakura turned to Hinata and wondered what the point of their conversation is about. She then had a passing thought of the only friend she had back in her village to the girl beside her. Sure, Hinata might look timid but she believes that all girls are sisters, whether they acknowledge men or not, and she's looking forward to be the Hyuuga's friend. "Nah. You could be better than me, you know. After all, you are a ninja from a respected village."

It took Hinata a minute to answer back. "You think so?"

"Of course," Sakura immediately pointed out. She then noticed the shorter girl's sad pearly eyes. "What's the matter, Hinata? Where's this coming from?"

Hinata looked up hesitantly. "W-well, I think I'm still not good enough," she replied in resignation.

"What are you talking about?"

The Hyuuga heiress bit her lip and shivered again at the night's coldness. "B-back in the Jounin exams, do you know that I lost even before could get to the finals?" Her eyes immediately reflected something raw before she continued. "I-I lost to Neji—of all people. That only meant two things. First is that I had fallen short of my father's expectations. The second is… w-well, I don't deserve to be our clan's heiress. That title obviously belongs to someone like Neji-niisan with his exceptional skills."

Sakura's emerald eyes widened, unsure on how to react. She never had any similar experiences on her past that could help out the self-pitying Hyuuga much because of the sole fact that men in their village were regarded as nothing, depriving them of their freedom and their right to thrive. A man surpassing an Amazon was never a part of reality—that Sakura still firmly believes. But now, seeing Hinata's dilemma, Sakura can't help but to wonder how different life could be outside the massive walls she grew up.

Hinata soon gasped as she realized what she just said and apologized for her abrupt opening up. "I-I'm very sorry, Sakura-chan. I-I didn't mean to—"

"No, its okay," she assured, regarding Hinata with the sympathy she deserves. "To be honest," Sakura started, boring deeply to Hinata's calm pools, "I never know how it feels to be in you shoes, really. But I believe in your abilities, that I'm sure of. You have to learn to stand on your own, regardless of what people say about you. You should before it's too late. Hinata, you are much special than any men in this planet could be and you need to keep that in mind all the time because you really are."

Hinata's eyes widened before she took a small sniff. "S-Sakura-chan… _thanks_…"

Sakura cleared her throat and averted her eyes, feeling slightly bashful. Never in her life did she have parallel occurrences that shook her perspectives—all in one day. First is the fact that she is actually considering Naruto' friendship, something that is completely blasphemous back on her hometown. Second is the real (overwhelming?) desire to discern an utterly insufferable stoic pig and his strange moods swings and lastly, to accept the possibility that things could be far more different that how they usually be.

With a sigh, Sakura braced herself for more to come in a bumpy ride everyone calls 'coping up'.

**O.O**

The last thing Sasuke felt was the unbelievable sting on his shin, and a retreating back of a daunting, far more annoying young woman.

"Teme, what are you doing, standing here like that? We're already leaving, c'mon," Naruto urged, slinging his knapsack on his shoulders. "Teme, I said let's go," Naruto added sluggishly, pertaining to Sasuke's unmoving form.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously before he stormed off, catching up with the group as they took the north trail towards the borders of the mist country to the reach the village of Konoha. He instinctively clenched his fist as Sakura's back came into view, making sure that he was in a good ten meters away from the annoying girl.

He could've completely forgotten what happened last night, when the girl waltzed in his practice grounds with nothing but her _wet _underwear. Sasuke was well aware that he had let his guard down upon witnessing such, _such_ unexpected display of human physique and decided to just let it all past if Sakura would just swim back from where she came from. But no, _she stayed_, utterly perplexed as to what is really happening—to him, to be exact. That solely meant that his body short-circuited a full ten seconds where his senses shamefully betrayed his heed to unglue his gaze on her body.

Sasuke shook his head in annoyance upon images of Sakura drifted back to his consciousness, _bad _images, he further concluded. He thought that those treacherous things will desert his cloudy mind after a whole night of taking residence on it (depriving him of much needed sleep to recover after the one-month Jounin exams), making his night far less comfortable. He had purposely avoided meeting Sakura when he came back last night, hoping it would help him forget her sinful body. But then, when morning came, he realized with horror that he had been staring at the newcomer since she emerged from her tent with Tenten, leaving him imagining, well, _stuff_. Sakura soon noticed his shifty attitude and (**A/N: smoldering**) looks that she kicked his shin to deliberately shake him off his insanity.

—which is kind of effective because his annoyance to Sakura came back and took the place of other anomalous things.

Sasuke followed their group as they leapt from tree branch to another, glaring the back of an unsuspecting Sakura, who was currently conversing with Hinata.

_God. _He has to get rid of her before she can do further damage.

"Why's she still with us?" he asked with a bitter tongue.

Naruto scrunched his nose and followed Sasuke's gaze. "Sakura-chan?"

"No, duh."

The kyuubi vessel rolled his eyes heavenward. "She's on her way to Konoha too, teme. It won't hurt us to escort her. Besides, the group approved to it. You personally told us all that she was being attacked by suspected missing-nins when you found her—we wouldn't let that happen again, right?"

"Something tells me that letting her stay isn't a wise idea." _And allowing her to take midnight soak with _only _on her undergarments. _

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a questioning look. "What was that supposed to mean, teme?"

"Hn."

Naruto made an indignant noise. "Jeez, try not to think of anything now; we just passed the Jounin exams and pretty soon we'll be so much busy that you won't even have time for these. Besides, something's tells me that Sakura-chan is a good person—Hinata-chan even told me how caring she can be. It's not like she's hiding something from us, right?" Naruto inquired, turning to Sai in his right, the last member of their three-man team.

The dark-haired Chuunin nodded with a bright smile. "She's fitting in just right," he replied.

"See? Teme, there's really nothing to worry," Naruto assured. He scoffed upon seeing Sasuke's jaw tightening, before accelerating his speed, leaving them behind. "What's gotten into him this time?"

Sai's gaze then fell over the back of the brooding Uchiha, looking more pissed than usual—which is quite possible to believe for Sai because Sasuke is _always _on the peak of his aggravation.

"I'll tell you if I find anything," he murmured, furrowing his brows.

**O.O**

"We'll settle here for the night," Neji announced upon reaching a clearing. The rest nodded in response, knowing what needs to be done at that point.

Sakura followed the group that'll gather the food supplies, while Hinata and her teammates will set out to pitch the tents.

She had been traveling with them for two days now and she's got pretty much acquainted—which proved to be a harder course for an Amazon like her. Hinata and Tenten, being the only girls, were naturally the first she befriended. Sakura soon realized that the two are becoming more and more like Ino, the friend she left back on her home village and the one she will meet at the Hokage Tower for back-up. But what surprised her much is the possibility that men could, in fact, be diverse—in character to be exact. Sakura fearfully witnessed that not all men were like the ones she caught—weak and of no use at all.

Yesterday, an incident involving an ambush to their group by suspected missing-nins rendered them stranded in a dangerous pocket of the forest. To make matters worse, Neji found out that they were pretty much surrounded.

Sakura, fearless in nature, was ready to take in the challenge despite their vulnerable position. She was never taught to back down and delay possible escape; the best time to strike back was on the first minute of being stuck. Besides, she was pretty sure she can get out of that mess, being on similar circumstances. She was actually on her way to pull out her magnificent blade when she noticed the Konoha ninjas falling into a huddle, and when she stepped in to know what it could be about, she found out that they were coming up with a plan.

Sakura bit her tongue to restrain herself from asking what this could be about. But the confusion was there, unable to understand the point about doing so.

Shikamaru then devised a very logical escape tactic in a matter of minutes—impressing no one but Sakura because of his high deductive skills. Shikamaru—of all people, Sakura thought at that time, mentally reminding herself that this was the same bummer she met yesterday.

"Sakura-chan, stay back. We'll take care of it," Naruto said minutes before the plan was put into action, tapping her shoulder in a reassuring way. She looked up to the blonde, unsure, torn and disbelieving. "Don't worry, we'll protect you. Stay back with Hinata and Tenten, they know what to do," he added.

The next thing Sakura knew was that she was hiding under a low, oversized tree branch with Hinata and Tenten and hearing Naruto's fierce cry as the men in their group engaged to action.

She knew she can take their assailants down in a heartbeat, but the reason why she chose to stay back remained unrevealed to her.

The clash surprisingly ended earlier than anticipated, and their group got out of the exposed clearing immediately. It was when Sakura noticed that the guys are falling behind in their flee that she realized that some of them were wounded and are bleeding profusely, including Chouji, Kiba and Naruto.

"You should've told me earlier, Naruto," Sakura hissed as she took in the deep cut under his ribs. She called the group to a stop and demanded to at least let her apply some first aid in their injuries.

Neji turned to Shikamaru, and the Chuunin nodded. "This distance is pretty much safe. And I think they will never bother us again."

Sakura beamed.

"But we can't get careless," Shikamaru added. "Not again."

"Hai," Sakura nodded as she dragged Naruto to sit on a rock, the rest slumping back in weariness. They could be exceptional ninjas, Sakura took note, but she knew what missing-nins are capable of. Their group was obviously outnumbered but they managed to survive—with minimal injuries she can take care off. She took in a shaky breath before she pressed her palms on Naruto's injury, taking in the blood dangerously flowing out of his body. The rest watched out in curiosity on the entire healing process, quite amazed that Naruto's skin began patching up, until the cut was reduced to merely a scar.

Sakura sighed as memories of what happened on the ambush yesterday resurfaced on her mind. She healed the rest of the guys after she was done with Naruto then until they were stable. It's been a long time since she used her healing abilities—to a bunch of men, to be exact. She didn't know a time like this would come, where her curing skills would be of great need by men like Naruto and the rest.

"Ow! Shit," Sakura mumbled in annoyance, _almost _stumbling on the forest floor because of an uprooted branch. She glared the innocent root for sometime before she mumbled something incoherent.

"Get over it and hurry up. We don't have all day," came a chill voice in front of her.

Sakura looked up alarmingly and realized in horror that she had been left with Sasuke to hunt for dinner again, as the rest probably drifted away from them when she was uncharacteristically reminiscing. "Why do I always get stuck on you?"

The Uchiha just shrugged.

**O.O**

Sakura sat on a rock near the riverbank and decided to just watch the Uchiha go fishing, knowing that they'll end up arguing if she meddled in so much. She had grown tired of the endless bickering for the past days, thankfully, and if the ambush incident didn't happen, her aggravation to Sasuke could've escalated to the highest possible level, and she might kill him _accidentally_.

She looked up to the sky and sighed, seeing the auburn painted heavens. The sun will set in a few more minutes and they have to be back to the camp before nightfall. If Sasuke hadn't gone into his mad pursuit for a river again, they could've been on their way back to their camp. But knowing him, pointing that one out will result to another argument—and Sakura wasn't in the right mood to keep up with Sasuke's out-of-this-world preferences.

A splash shook her out of her reverie, and she turned just to see in time the nine fishes Sasuke caught in one string.

"Can we go now?" she asked, boredom painted all over her face.

Sasuke just ignored her and went in for another round of catch, swimming towards the deepest part of the river.

Sakura quietly watched him as his reflection dissolved under the sheen waters, swimming farther, and after sometime, emerging with five fishes tied on his chakra strings. Her gaze fell on his perfectly chiseled abs and his broad shoulders, his muscles rippling as he swam back. Her eyes lingered on him for the next minute before she furrowed her brows, noticing something strange. She immediately jumped off the rock when Sasuke reached the riverbank.

"Turn around," she ordered without delay.

Sasuke frowned and pushed her out of his way.

Sakura just rolled her eyes away from him before she pulled his arm, giving her a view of his back. And just as she suspected, he had a three-inch raw cut just under his right shoulder blade.

Sasuke gave out a rebellious grunt before he detached himself from Sakura, picking up the rest of his catch.

"That needs to be disinfected immediately, you know," Sakura pointed out, but her face remained indifferent. "Don't worry, it won't sting," she teased as she reached out for something on her sling bag.

Sasuke frowned and picked up his shirt. "Don't strain yourself," he shot back venomously.

Sakura's brow shot up to her hairline. "Stubborn much? Why don't _you _get over it and let me patch it up. After all, we don't have all day," she exclaimed, pulling out her disinfectant. "C'mon," Sakura urged as she sat on a nearby rock, patting the space in front of her. "Sit."

Sasuke's eyes darkened beneath his bangs and looked away. "I don't need you help—OW!" he winced as he felt something soft connected inches near his kunai wound. He turned to her in fury. "What did you do that for?" he asked, bundling his fist.

Sakura grinned and picked up her pony tail she threw to the stubborn Uchiha, her hair falling on her shoulders. "See? It hurts."

Sasuke eyed her warily like she transformed into something synonymous to a sadistic bitch. _Yeah, like she wasn't one right now, _Sasuke thought remorsefully.

"C'mon, I don't bite. I promise," she smiled sweetly before her emerald eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't make me repeat that again," she threatened as she pointed the spot in front of her. "Now sit."

"I'll kill you if you do something funny," Sasuke said but he went along with it anyway. He gave her a warning glare before he sat and turned his back on her.

Sakura scoffed before she repressed the overwhelming desire to stab him right there. Why did Anko want something like a bastard like him, anyway? Anko wasn't the type that has a lot of patience and Sasuke seems the guy that'll drive anyone off to the brink of tolerance. She pulled a clean cotton ball from her bag and dampened it with the disinfectant she brought along, before carefully pressing it on his wound.

"Hurry up," she heard him say to suppress a wince.

"You've got to thank me for this, don't you forget that," Sakura chirped, examining the injury. She ran a finger beside its swollen borders before she pressed her hand gently on it.

Sasuke took a deep breath as he felt warm chakra caressing his cut, taking in the soothing feeling that comes with it.

"There. It's done."

Sasuke furrowed his brows and tentatively touched the wound, and was later surprised that it was reduced into a small blemish. He blinked before his gaze fell on Sakura, who stood up from her spot and began picking some of his catch, helping him carry their dinner.

"If anything similar happens you have to inform me," Sakura said. "You shouldn't take our assailants lightly. Their weapons are dipped in poison—I saw Naruto and Kiba's injury infected with it," she paused before she turned to him. "Your tenacity will surely get you killed"

Sasuke looked up.

"That's the least I can tell you for keeping me in your group," he heard her say as she took the marked trail back to their camp site.

**O.O**

"What do you mean by that?" Sakura inquired to the girl beside her as they lay side by side inside their tent.

"Well, Neji's a Jounin now. He'll be a lot busier on missions," Tenten replied meekly.

Sakura furrowed her brows. "I don't understand; what about it?" she asked again, still not getting the point.

Tenten's face twisted in frustration as she felt her burning cheeks. "I know you won't 'cause it's really, _really_ weird. I haven't told anyone about this before, not even Hinata. _God_."

Sakura sank on her pillows and turned to Tenten, who looked like she was about to cry.

"Have you ever been in love?" Tenten asked, staring up.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't believe in love," she answered frankly.

"Really?" Tenten asked again, plopping her elbow and turning to the pink-haired newcomer.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I… I don't know."

Tenten nodded before she sighed. "You're lucky, you know that? At least you still haven't felt how it is to get your heart broken."

"I don't use my heart," Sakura confessed, taking a deep breath. "In the place where I grew up, you won't be able to survive if you kept on relying to your emotions. Besides, it's not like we have a choice to choose someone we…" Sakura took a delicate gulp. "Like. Hell, I don't even know how to like someone either."

"Really? You mean you've never been attracted to someone?"

Sakura fell silent. How can she tell Tenten that she never entertained such a feeling, let alone be able to identify it once she gets infected by it? She never knew she could be this vulnerable outside.

Tenten's eyes softened before she smiled brokenly. "There are people in this world whom you can't help but to fall in love with… especially when they get to be a significant part of you."

"And this is where Neji comes in, am I correct?" Sakura asked after putting the pieces together.

"Is it _that_ obvious?"

Sakura shook her head. "If you hadn't told me about it I'll never know." But considering her lack of ability to deduce outsiders' actions, no one really knows.

Tenten sighed in relief. "Well, yeah, it's Neji."

"But why are you so worried?" Sakura inquired.

"You see… Neji's my teammate since I was like, twelve and we've been on training and missions on a daily basis," Tenten paused as she lied down on her back. "Hyuuga Neji is Hyuuga Neji. Enough said. He was a prodigy and the best you can find back in our village. He's just amazing that he can come up with something out of scratch and has the ability to excel on everything he chooses. He's just perfect and girls are all over him because of that."

"Including you."

Tenten closed her eyes in resignation.

"How did you find out you like him?" Sakura asked, curiosity taking over her due to this elusive thing called love.

"I don't know. It's not something that suddenly appears when you wake up in the morning. It'll strike you in the most unexpected time, like when it's too late and when you look back, you'll know that it had been there all along. And now that Neji's a jounin, I'm sure things will never be the same."

"Well, why don't you talk to him? It'll make things easier," Sakura exclaimed simply.

"It's harder than you think… I tried but… Well, I guess I'm just afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Rejection."

Sakura's mouth ran dry as she nodded, a bit scared of the things that concerns the matters of the heart.

"Oh well, who am I to complain? Konoha is a place where cold bastards outnumber everyone else."

_Reminds me of someone I know, _Sakura thought sarcastically. She then remembered something of great importance. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask this. Is it true that Sasuke's pupils transform into something scary, or was I just hallucinating?"

Tenten's head shot up in the sudden change of topic. "Of course. It's a bloodline ability inherited by the members of the Uchiha clan, just as Neji's and Hinata's."

"_M-members_? You mean he's not the only one that has those eyes?" Sakura asked, eyes widening.

"Yeah."

_WE'RE DEAD!!! _Inner Sakura screamed.

**O.O**

_That settles the dispute. __**piNkLaLa-o3 **__first pointed out that one  
because in my story (I haven't introduced it yet but just wait), Sasuke,  
Itachi and Kakashi were all alive and vying for the category of Sakura's  
possible target. As we all read from Chapter 1, the vague mission details  
points out to the Sharingan. And ah, I've got plans for our all-too-  
innocent Sakura and Sasuke (grins evilly). And we may have some  
fluff on the next chapter.  
_:D :D :D

_Thanks to all of those who bothered to review. _


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you serious?" Tenten inquired, plopping her elbows and turning to a shaken Sakura.

The pink-haired Amazon just nodded sluggishly. "Yeah…?" she replied, unsure of what to say.

Tenten's eyes widened even more, disbelief tainting her expression. "You mean you haven't heard of the famous Uchiha clan? Sakura, were you just born yesterday?" she alleged, wondering where Sakura could be possibly from. From what Tenten considered, legendary shinobi families' eminence could stretch far and wide, even to the ends of the planet. It is quite impossible for someone not having heard of them.

But apparently, someone did. And that certain someone had the grace to appear offended. If Tenten hadn't noticed, Sakura was quite new to this thing called the 'outside world'. Things that had been happening since forever outside their village walls were deemed unimportant, thus, they were never subject of their inquiry. "What about it?" she asked in a soft tone, praying inwardly that Tenten would overlook her sudden curiosity.

Tenten recoiled and saw the raw confusion on Sakura's eyes. The girl was telling the truth – she doesn't know a thing about great shinobi families, and probably the rest of the shinobi world. "Well, it's the massacre of the century for starters," Tenten began as she shifted uncontrollably, craning her neck while looking from her sides in a paranoid manner. Sakura eyed her questioningly. "It happened a long time ago but it still gives me the creeps. Besides, no one had ever talked about it since it happened, save for the rumors that were tossed all around the village. And Sasuke being an acquaintance doesn't help either. It's a taboo."

Sakura raised a brow, quite interested of the side story.

"The murderer was, surprisingly, someone from their custody – Sasuke's older brother. He's one of the most exceptional ninjas of the village that time. And no one had anticipated the event. It was really a shocker when the news broke out," Tenten whispered, her eyes narrowing for added effect. "In just one night, one of the founding families of Konoha was wiped out, all of them, except for Sasuke."

_Except for Sasuke? _Sakura's eyes widened, finding the story quite unbelievable, whether it be the fact that someone had single-handedly banished a whole prestigious clan, or the matter why it was only Sasuke, of all, who managed to survive. For some reason, the night temperature seemed to have dropped against Sakura's liking. "If that's the case then why was Sasuke spared?" she asked, suppressing a shiver.

Tenten shook her head. "That I don't know. If there is one person who can tell you why, it's only Sasuke for sure. But you know him, he barely asks for anyone's help, let alone open up on something he had kept for ten long years," she mumbled.

"Makes sense…" Sakura replied, her eyes averting Tenten's in a distant manner. If what Tenten said was true, then her mission was as easy as a piece of cake. Sasuke's brother had eliminated all possible targets long before Anko had given her the mission, leaving Sasuke as the only person who fits the profile provided by the mission details. She would just have to wait for Ino, then the mission will commence. In a heartbeat, they can bring the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan back in their village to become nothing more than a slave to one of the most prominent person in their Amazon village. Then she'll be cleared of all her charges and live a normal life.

Tenten, on the other hand, watched her with outmost amusement. "What are you thinking?" she asked mischievously.

Sakura failed to see the playfulness on Tenten's eyes though, and just shrugged her shoulders to brush the question off. "Nothing."

"You sure?" Tenten pressed, trying to get something… well, something. Being acquainted with Sasuke since they were a Genin, Tenten had seen all kinds of reverie towards the avenger. Whether it would be the Uchiha's aloof and detached attitude, to his mysteriousness and unnerving silence, even to his hollow midnight eyes that spoke vengeance – all of them proved to be objects of appeal that can fill very girl's dreams. The last Jounin exam was enough proof. All the young ladies who took the exam never failed to miss his façade, despite of the stretching sea of faces present.

Sakura blinked slowly, tilting her head in question.

Tenten giggled. _Playing innocent, ne? _"Well, Sasuke wasn't an Uchiha for nothing."

"What do you mean?"

Tenten was about to open her mouth to retort when they both heard a sniggering and rustling sound coming from the campfire. Tenten released her chakra to check if it was an intruder of sorts, but just sighed in relief when she found the familiar chakra of her friends. The laughing persisted though, as if taunting someone else.

"Could that be Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Probably," Tenten mumbled before she went back to the hanging topic. "As I was saying, curiosity is the first step of everything. It could further lead to—"

"HAH! Eat dust you dog-boy!"

"Definitely Naruto," Sakura exclaimed, pushing herself up. "What's he up to now?" she added as she lifted the flap of their tent to effectively see what could be going on.

Tenten sighed in defeat. Sakura's elusive attention had surely left the topic unscathed.

Sakura then sat up and pulled the flap open. "Naruto, why are you still awake?" she called out, cupping her hands.

Naruto's head shot up swiftly. He waved upon seeing his new found friend. "Sakura-chan! C'mon, look at this!" he beckoned.

Sakura did what she was told and put her sandals on, leaving Tenten and her bothering questions behind. She approached the campfire and saw the boys huddled in a circle, with Chouji and Kiba in the middle for a late arm wrestling match. She sat behind Naruto and poked him at the back. "What's going on?"

Naruto grinned and pointed out the heated match between Chouji and Kiba, both crouched in outmost concentration. Kiba pursed his lips and leaned forward, obviously trying his best to win. Chouji, on the other hand, was mightily pushing Kiba's hand back, with beads of sweat running down his chin. "Oh boy, Kiba's gonna give in!" Naruto pointed out before a hard slam was heard, followed by Kiba's groaning. "Hah! I told you, man!"

Kiba scoffed, nursing his right elbow. "C'mon and try it yourself!" he dared, looking very much offended that he lost again for the nth time.

"Oh-hoh. Someone's a sore loser, right, Sakura-chan?" Naruto teased, laughing his heart out. "No one has beat Chouji since the past five years but some just won't listen," he added, chuckling.

"That's too bad. Kiba was trying his best," Sakura pointed out, eying Kiba across. His right arm doesn't look good, and to think that Kiba just got out of the injuries he acquired when they were ambushed, it wouldn't be good for him to strain his body more. She then stood up and approached him. "Let me see your arm," she offered genuinely.

Kiba grinned sheepishly and extended his arm. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

Naruto watched Sakura examine Kiba's injured arm, his sapphire eyes wide in jealousy. "That's no fair, Sakura-chan," he mumbled, crossing his arms.

"Stop whining," Sasuke reprimanded, glaring Naruto for some reason.

Kiba grinned. "What? Now someone wants to take my place," he teased as he felt Sakura's warm chakra caressing his arm, probably stitching in the snapped tendon brought about by the earlier arm wrestling match. In a minute, Kiba's hand was back to being healthy, opening and closing it with ease like before. "Thanks!"

Naruto huffed, pouting that he hadn't got much of the attention of his friends. "Okay, next!" he called, picking up a small branch in front of him.

The rest immediately fit in the circle, leaving Sakura on the middle.

"Oh, Sakura-chan, you can join our game. C'mon, have a seat," Naruto said as everyone shuffled to make room her.

Everyone, except for Sasuke – Sakura vaguely noticed.

"Sakura-san, you can sit here," Lee offered, inching away from Neji to make room for Sakura. Sakura was hesitant for a bit but after reminding herself that courteousness is necessary for her mission to succeed, she took the offer and waited for the game to commence. Whatever it could be.

"'Kay, let's begin!" Naruto cheered as he placed a small tree branch in front of him. He stood the branch in a swift manner before letting it loose, letting it fall naturally on the soft ground. Sakura watched the small branch fall, its tip with an outstretched leaf inclining towards her. It finally hit the ground with a dull 'thud', unarguably pointing towards her, along with Naruto's rowdy voice announcing that it was her who'll have to participate in the next arm wrestling match.

The next round of selection pointed Chouji again as Sakura's adversary and the game began.

"You can do it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto chirped. "I'm putting my money on you," he proudly stated.

"Me, too!" Lee exclaimed, hanging his fist on air.

Sakura grinned as she claimed her spot in the middle. _Shannaro! Let's see if Konoha ninjas are worth an Amazon's strength. _She slipped her finger-less glove and bundled her right fist, adjusting the glove to her comfort. The last time she participated on such game, she sent Ino back under her mother's skirt – though it was a pretty even match. That'll be a given since all Amazons were renowned for their strength.

Chouji was the first to offer his arm, leaning on the wooden table while smiling warmly at the same time. "Let's do our best, Sakura-san."

Sakura nodded as she gripped Chouji's large hand. She gave it a testing clench and realized that it would be hard for her to fully grasp the teen's hand, giving her an obvious disadvantage.

"On three," Naruto announced. "One." Sakura nodded and tightened her grip, with Chouji doing the same. "Two. And THREE!"

Sakura braced herself as she tested Chouji's strength. The initial thrust was worthy to be called forceful 'enough'. She felt her hand tilting in Chouji's favor and she had to adjust quickly at the heavy weight. She wasn't shocked that Chouji held the title for five years now – the Chuunin had monstrous strength, though it wasn't much that Sakura can handle. She leaned further and concentrated, her brows furrowing.

"Sakura-chan, that's not bad!" Naruto pointed out, voicing out probably everyone's thoughts. Naruto lived to see only two people withstanding the first ten seconds of an arm wrestling match with Chouji as the opponent. The first person was sitting idly beside him with a frown. The second was strangely himself.

Sakura looked up and gave Naruto a teasing salute, while trying her best to regain what she lost. Chouji prove to be a worthy opponent, but something tells her that he was still holding back.

_Damn. He's underestimating us! Let's show him what we got, sister! Shannaro! _

The rest fell into an uproar as the match lasted a good minute, with neither of the two backing down.

Chouji, on the other hand, looked utterly perplexed, as if he's witnessing an unfathomable phenomena unfolding right under his eyes. He looked up shakily to Sakura but the girl kept leveling the match.

"C'mon, Sakura-chan! You can do it!"

"Yosh, Sakura-san! Release the fire of your youth!"

Sakura's brows furrowed and tightened her grip, willing to match Chouji's muscle. She readjusted her strength and pushed harder, disregarding Chouji's confused expression. Prolonging the match wouldn't do any difference – the same goes for him too, Sakura thought. Her thoughts were confirmed when she felt rather than saw that Chouji was finally admitting his mistake and releasing his chakra to end the match – like she'll allow him. With a snap second that even Chouji hadn't anticipated, Sakura slammed her fist down, crushing Chouji's arm and almost smashing the wooden table into two.

There goes the title Chouji had taken pride of for the past years.

**O.O**

"With our current pace, probably a couple more days," Neji answered.

Sakura nodded as she slung her sling bag over her shoulders. "You mean by the end of the week we'll get to reach Konoha?"

"It's safe to assume such."

Sakura's face brightened up. "Really? Thanks!"

Neji paused thoughtfully before he looked up again. "Sakura-san."

Sakura, who was about to join Tenten in dismantling their tent, halted on her tracks. "Nani?"

"About last night, you did very well. The strength you portrayed was implausible." Sakura blinked. Where was this conversation heading? She watched Neji closely as the guy struggled inwardly. "You shouldn't miss the arm wrestling match tonight. Then maybe I can be a commendable adversary to you. You are the reigning victor after all."

Sakura nodded slowly. Last night it was Kiba and Naruto who challenged her for tonight's round of arm wrestling match, though the two ended up squabbling on whose going to be the first to do so. Then there's Chouji, who wanted to regain his title. And now Neji? What's with the boys this time – challenging her and all like this?

Neji tipped his head and proceeded to what he had been doing before Sakura approached her, which was restraining a predictably annoyed Uchiha from tearing Naruto apart.

Sakura, brushing away the current state of affairs between Sasuke and Naruto, turned towards Tenten who was now folding their tent.

"What did Neji say?" Tenten asked as she disregarded the tent.

"A couple of days at most."

Tenten grinned. "That's good to know!" she exclaimed. "I hope Hokage-sama can give us a break. The journey to Suna was strenuous after all."

Sakura tilted her head.

"Oh, I mean 'us'," Tenten corrected herself, pointing the rest of her fellow Konoha shinobi.

Sakura nodded. "Of course."

That is when Tenten remembered something quite important she had been meaning to ask the new-comer since day one. "Sakura, do you have any place to stay while waiting for your friend in Konoha?" Tenten inquired curiously.

Sakura's mouth fell upon the sudden realization. Great. She was able to come up with a fool-proof plan from Uchiha Sasuke's capture all the way to bringing him back to Anko. She even made necessary alternative tactics in case things might go wrong (which she highly doubts. She's an Amazon after all) when she actually forgot the most important thing for her mission to take flight. Was it just her or was Sasuke's stupidity rubbing on her already?

Tenten took in Sakura's silence as a 'no.' She let out a chuckle before she shook her head. "Don't worry about that, Sakura, you can stay on my apartment," Tenten proposed.

Sakura's eyes widened considerably. "But, Tenten, that's too much. I'll probably rent a small pad when we get there."

"I see," Tenten exclaimed. "Keep in touch, okay?" she joked, giggling. "Inform me when your friend arrives – I'll give you both a tour around the most prosperous city in the face of the planet."

Sakura smiled warmly. "Sure."

**O.O**

"Are we there yet?"

"…"

Sakura huffed loudly. "Are we there yet?" she repeated, seeing the effect of her taunting visibly. Who knew Uchiha Sasuke had non-existent patience? Sakura could tell that with amusement every time she opens her mouth, and she found herself hooked on trying to find out how long it takes until the Uchiha snaps out and give her a one-way ticket to meet her maker.

"Why are you following me?" he hissed, sounding frustrated.

"Are we there yet?"

Sakura grinned triumphantly behind Sasuke as she saw him clench his fist, his ears turning red in what she assumed irritation. This is practically the reason why she purposely followed him yet again to gather supplies for tonight. Sasuke was just so volatile that one wrong word and he'll fry you to crisp – as what happen the day before to poor Naruto and Sakura sets out to find his limit. Sakura now sets to find what that 'one wrong word' could possible be.

Yeah. Amazon bitches are sadists in and out, Sakura intelligently noticed.

She tilted her head as Sasuke took another turn along the bushy trail, ignoring her like air. "Are we there yet?"

Sasuke bundled his fists tighter if it was possible and Sakura can't help but to congratulate herself. She giggled loud enough for Sasuke to hear and continued skipping just to torment him. She can't actually place it, but as time passes, she found it quite satisfying to see him at his most infuriated glory.

It was his fault, really, Sakura inwardly thought. If he hadn't shown any signs of appearing aggravated every time she bats an eyelash like it was offending him to hell, she shouldn't have been here in the first place. She never knew that men in the wild could be so fun to watch, and she never expected Sasuke to be a formidable specimen. But things happened and through the course of their journey to Konoha, for some reason, this made her eager to identify few of his weak points: one being hell-annoyed to everything that has a mouth.

_Hmm… Seems like he had a couple of bands of patience on him after all_, Inner Sakura chirped. _He always went killer-mode on Naruto on the blonde's first attempt. _Well, it's not like something an Amazon like her can't handle. Sakura would unveil more of his weaknesses – other than his obvious shifty attitude a night ago when he found her half-naked by the stream.

"Are we there yet?" she groaned, looking if it had an effect on him.

"…"

Sakura raised a brow. She never knew he could last this long.

"Are we—?" Sakura fought the urge to swallow hard when Sasuke abruptly stopped, turned around, and grabbed the back of her head. No further warnings were uttered when he closed the gap of their faces and claimed her lips in a split second.

_Shit._

**O.O**

_I only found out that the journey from Suna to Konoha only takes three days  
after I finished this chapter so… yeah, bear with me. Let's just say that on my story,  
the journey takes pretty much a week. _And _I know this chapter is __**late**__. Ah,  
the Christmas vacation was the only time I get to relax. Anyway, I hope this chapter  
satisfied your dose on My Moneybag Uchiha Sasuke. Please remember to sign a review!  
3 3 3 –snakeCHARMER-_


End file.
